Coal-tipple.



N 837 900. 'PATBNTBD D c. 1906.

o J J FLEMING B GOAL TIPPLE. APPLIOATION FILED 8321211, 1906.

Alforheyg ITO-837,900. PATENTED DEC. 4, 1906.

J; J. FLEMING. 'GOAL TIPPLE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11; 1906.

" 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESS THE :voims ns-rsns C0,, WASHINGTON, u. c,

UNITED STATES JOHN J. FLEMING, OF OARRIOK,

PATENT OFFICE.

PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO PHILLIPS MINE AND MILL SUPPLY 00., OFPITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A GOR- PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

COAL-TIPPLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 4, 1906.

Application filed September 11, 1906. Serial No. 334,101.

To all whom, it mag concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN J. FLEMING, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oarrick, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOoal-Tipples, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to coal-tipples, and relates in particularto mechanism for facilitating the discharge 'of coal from the cars on atipple of that class wherein the cars are run upon a pivoted platformand are dumped or their contents discharged by the tiltlng of theplatform, which latter action is produced by the overbalancing of theouter end of the platform by the combined weight of the car and itscontents, the platform automatically returning to its normal horizontalposition as soon as the coal has been discharged.

The object of the present invention is to provide novel means forimparting a succession of jolts or jars to the platform during itstilting movement, which jolts or jars are imparted to the car on theplatform, and the coal in the car is thereby induced to discharge itselfin successive portions instead of all at once or practically all atonce, as is the case in tipples of the ordinary construction.

In carrying my invention into effect I provide a rotating drum which ismounted on the tipple structure, and a chain which is wound around thedrum has one end attached to the rearwardly-projecting brake tongue orbeam of the tilting platform and has a weight at tached to its otherend, which serves to keep the chain taut and in engagement with the drumand serves also to assist the return of the platform to its normalposition. The drum above referred to is in one direction of its movementclutched to an escapementwheel, and a manually-operable escapement isarranged to alternately engage the escapement-wheel and release thesame, so that the drum will be permitted to rotate by successivemovements, each movement alternating with a sudden stoppage, wherebythrough the medium of the chain, the beam, the platform, and the car thecoal in the car will be given a series of jolts or jars and therebycaused to discharge itself in successive portions as the platform tilts.

Referring to the accom anying drawings, in the several figures of whichlike numerals of reference designate corrresponding parts, 1 with aratchet clutch member 15 which en i i o jtipple structure broken away.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a tipple constructed according to myinvention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with a portion of theFig. 3 is ,a detail in vertical section of a portion of the j olting orjarring devices; and Fig. 4 is a similar view of the same parts, takenat right angles to Fig. 3. v

The tipple structure, the tilting platform,

1 and the appurtenant parts thereof may be of any desired construction,preferably that or similar to that type of tipple shown and described inLetters Patent of the United States, No. 524,211, granted to J. M.Phillips,

J. J. Fleming, 1894, and need not therefore be specifically described.

and F. Browning August 7,

As shown in the accompanying drawings, the tipple comprises a rigidstructure on which are mounted the floor 1, carrying the stationarytracks 2, on which the car is run from the mine to the tilting platform4, which latter carries the tilting rails 5, the horn-stops 6, and theother necessary appendages. The platform 4 rocks or tilts on rockers 7and carries the rearwardly-projecting brake tongue or beam 8, from whichdepends the curved brake bar or sword 9, which is controlled by anysuitable braking mechanism, preferably that shown and described in thebefore-mentioned Letters Patent, and which, while itis illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, does not require specific description herein.

The above-mentioned portions of the tipple constitute no part of mypresent invention except insofar as they are combined with my presentinvention, which latter I Will more specifically describe.

Upon the tipple structure below the free end of the brake tongue or beam8 I arrange 9' a rotary drum 10, which is carried on a shaft 11,journaled in bearings 12, these hearings being attached to any suitableportion of the tipple structure. The drum 10 is loose on the shaft 11and is impelled lengthwise in one direction by a spiral spring 12, whichsurrounds shaft 11, one end of this spring bearing against the end ofthe drum and the other end of the spring bearing against a collar 13,which is fixed on the shaft at any position necessary to give therequired resiliency to the spring bymeans of a set-screw 14 The end ofthe drum 10 o posite to that against which the spring 12 ears is formedI'CO gages a similar ratchet clutch member 16, carried by anescapement-wheel 17, that is carried by and preferably fixedon the shaft11 The escapement-wheel 17 is of peculiar form, and its constructionwill be best understood by reference to the detail views, Figs. 3 and 4.Said escapement-wheel is provided with any desired number of teeth 18,that shown in the drawings being provided with. siX teeth, and theseteeth have each one side radial to the center of the escapement -wheeland the other side substantially tangential to the wheel and slightlycurved, as shown, U i on the outer flat face of the escapementwfieel areformed or rigidly attached a series of curved cam-pieces 19 equal innumber to the number of teeth 18. The cam-pieces 19 are provided withouter curved bearingsurfaces 20, which are at an angle to the tangentialsides of the teeth 18 for a purpose hereinafter described.

Adjacent to the shaft 11 and mounted in the bearings 12 is a rock-shaft21, which carries a curved escapement 22, that is rigidly fixed onrock-shaft 21, this escapement having a tooth 23 at one end thatsuccessively engages the radial side of each tooth of theescapement-Wheel, and the other end of the escapement being rounded at24, this rounded end of the escapement being out of vertical alinementwith the tooth 23 and successively engaging the outer curvedbearing-surface 20 of each of the cam-pieces 19 as the escapement-wheel17 rotates.

The rock-shaft 21 carries an upwardly-pro jecting arm 25, that isrigidly attached to the shaft, and this arm is connected by a rod 27 toa ivoted lever 32, that projects through the oor of the tipple structureadjacent to the tilting platform alongside a lever 33, which latter isconnected to and serves to operate the braking devices hereinbeforereferred to, both the levers 32 and 33 therefore being within easy reachof an operator stationed on the tipple structure.

A strong chain 34 is wound around the drum 10 a number of times, so asto have a firm grip of the drum, and the upper end of the chain isattached to the brake tongue or beam 8, while a weight 35 is attached tothe other end of the chain and serves to maintain the chain taut and ingripping engagement with the drum 10, this weight also serving insomemeasure to assist in returning the tilting platform to its normalhorizontal position after the coal has been dumped from the car.

Operation: The loaded car is run out upon the tracks of the tiltingplatform, and the brake mechanism being released by manipulating thebrake-lever 33 an impulse in one direction is given to the escapement 22by moving the lever 32 so as to throw the tooth 23 out of engagementwith the particular tooth of the escapement-wheel with which it happensat this time to be engaged. The throwing of the tooth of the escapementout of engagement with a tooth of the escapement-wheel permits thelatter to turn the distance between two teeth, and the rounded end ofthe escapement being thrown into contact with one of the cam-pieces onthe face of the escapement-wheel by the outward movement of the oppositeend of the escapement the progressive rotary movement of theescapement-wheel causes the rounded end face of the cam-piece and imparta movement to the escapement which will throw the tooth on the same intoposition to be engaged by a second tooth of the escapement-wheel. Assoon as the first tooth of the escapementwheel is released fromengagement with the tooth of the escapement in the manner abovedescribed the upward traction of the chain 34 produced by the tilting ofthe platform 4 im parts rotary movement to the drum 10 and through theclutch members 16 17 to the es-' capement-wheel, and the movement of theescapement-wheel causes the escapement to be returned to its firstposition by reason of the rounded end of the escapement riding on one ofthe cam-pieces of the escapementwheel. As the movement of theescapementwheel is somewhat rapid, the engagement of the tooth of theescapement with the second tooth and with each succeeding tooth of theescapement-wheel brings that wheel to a sudden stop, and at each suchstop the drum, the chain, and the tilting platform are similarly broughtto a sudden stop, and this sudden stopping of the parts jolts or jarsthe car and its contents during the tilting movement of the platform, soas to cause the coal to be discharged in separate portions, this methodof discharging the coal being highly conducive to proper and efficientscreening of the coal by means of screens arranged in the usual manneron the tipple.

When the tilting platform has reached the extremity of its downwardmovement and the coal has all been discharged from'the car, the tiltingplatform will automatically resume its normal horizontal position, anddur ing this return movement of the platform the drum 10 will be rotatedin a direction the reverse of that in which it was rotated by thetilting of the platform, this reverse move being effected by the weight35 and permitted by the ratchet clutch members on the drum andescapementwvheel.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In a coal-tipple, thecombination with a tilting platform of a rotary drum, connected to theplatform and rotated by the tilting of the platform, and means forsuccessively st opping the rotation of said drum.

2. In a coal-tipple, the combination with a tilting platform and arotary drum mounted on the tipple structure, of a chain connected of theescapement to ride on the curved sur to the platform and Winding aroundthe drum, and means for successively stopping the rotation of the drum.

3. In a coal-tipple, the combination with a tilting platform and arotary drum carried by the tipple structure, of a chain Winding aroundthe drum and connected to said tilting platform, a shaft on Which saiddrum is mounted, an escapement-Wheel turned by said drum, an escapementengaging said escapement-Wheel, and means for operating said escapement.

4. In a tipple, the combination With the tipple structure, a tiltingplatform mounted on said structure, a shaft journaled on the saidstructure, a drum mounted on said shaft, an escapement-Wheel fixed onsaid shaft, and rotatable by said drum, a chain connected to said drumand connected to said platform, an escapement mounted adj acent to saidescapement-wheel, a tooth carried by the escapement and adapted tosuccessively engage the teeth of the escapement- Wheel, means formanually disengaging the tooth of the escapement successively from theteeth of the escapement-Wheel and means for automatically restoring thetooth of the escapement into engagement With the teeth of theescapement-Wheel.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN J. FLEMING.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH B. CONNQLLY, THos. A. 'CONNOLLY.

